VALLEY INVITATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE: SUMMER WORK TURNS INTO TITLE FOR HART.

Byline: Sean Ceglinsky Staff Writer

Hart High baseball team's goal this summer was to improve in all facets during Valley Invitational Baseball League play.

Wins and losses weren't necessarily important, and Indians coach Jim Ozella readily admitted as much.

Then things changed, as they so often do. The team began to jell, and victories followed. When the VIBL playoffs began, Hart was seeded sixth.

A win here, and another there, and all of sudden the Indians found themselves in the championship game, where they completed an improbable run with a 5-1 victory over top-seeded El Camino Real of Woodland Hills on Sunday.

``The initial mind-set of the summer was to go out and get some at-bats and certainly get some innings in,'' Ozella said. ``We basically wanted to develop talent and ended up winning the whole thing.

``We did a good job of getting after it this summer. But that's all over now. We patted ourselves on the back and have moved on. We're not satisfied.''

Fair enough. There's nothing wrong with wanting to get better. The philosophy certainly worked well over the past two months, though Ozella would like to have everyone thinking otherwise.

``I don't see any superstars on this team,'' Ozella said. ``There's no guys on this roster ready for the big leagues.''

Some might argue, however, that Tyler Fick and Tyler Lyon are two top prospects worth watching.

Fick is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound left-hander who was dominant more often than not during the summer, particularly against El Camino Real when he struck out the side in the seventh inning to close out the game.

The senior has received interest from Arizona State, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.

``He throws gas,'' Ozella said. ``He's tough.''

Lyon, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound right-hander, was equally impressive in the title game, giving up one run on four hits in six innings. He'll be a junior in the fall and has some upside if he continues to improve.

``Winning the title made the summer so much better,'' Lyon said. ``It can't get any better than that.''

Ozella seems to believe so.

``We have a long way to go,'' Ozella said. ``The important thing is that we got a picture of what we have in store for next season. We had a lot of our questions answered.''

Fick and Lyon will figure prominently in the starting rotation. Donnie Williams, a sophomore, could end up as the Indians' third starter.

Steve Burton and Pat Sarkissian pitched well during VIBL play and will work plenty of innings out of the bullpen in the spring.

Seniors Matt Sreden, Ryan Gagnon and Petterson will provide leadership. The infield is solid up the middle with shortstop Matt Valaika and second baseman Chris Baker.

The pieces of the puzzle appear to be in place for Hart to make a run at the Foothill League title and a decent run in the Southern Section playoffs. Whether the Indians do so remains to be seen.

``We can't stop now, we don't want to lose what we've gained already,'' Lyon said. ``We still have to work hard.''

Sean Ceglinsky, [phone]

sean.ceglinsky(at)dailynews.com